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enWhere Did the Phrase "Aye Yai Yai" Come From?http://mentalfloss.com/article/52790/where-did-phrase-aye-yai-yai-come
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/big-questions" class="author-writes-about-link">Big Questions</a>, <a href="/section/origins" class="author-writes-about-link">Origins</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/146279967.jpg" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>It happened to me just this morning, when I was fiddling with my closet doors, trying to get them back on their tracks so they would slide correctly. As one door fell off and slammed into the other, my response was automatic. “Aye yai yai, these doors!”</p>
<p>I caught myself upon uttering the phrase. What the hell does that mean, anyway? And where does it come from? It’s amazing how often we use phrases out of habit and inferred meaning rather than an understanding of what we’re actually saying.</p>
<p>While many cultures have similar exclamations (such as the Chinese <em>aiyo</em>), the most likely path the saying took into the English language is from our nearby neighbors in Mexico. The Spanish word <em>ay!</em> translates to the exclamation of “oh!” in English, and thus any repetition of the word, such as “ay ay ay,” would infer a sense of dismay, confusion, or frustration.</p>
<p>There are several ways the phrase is commonly spelled in the English language, such as “aye yi yi,” “ai yai yai” and “ay yai yai,” but there is no formal acknowledgement about which is correct given its slang nature.</p>
<p>Nor is it clear how, when, or why the “ay” changed into “yai” and “yi” in spelling and pronunciation, but we’ve seen many uses of this phrase throughout pop culture, all of which obviously have some impact on how the common man uses and spells the phrase. It appears in a number of Spanish/Mexican songs, and this writer remembers hearing it as a kid from the Power Ranger character <a href="http://powerrangers.wikia.com/wiki/Alpha_5">Alpha 5</a>, who consistently said “ay yi yi” during times of distress.</p>
<p>So the bad news is that while it’s widely accepted that the phrase crossed the border from Mexico, the rest of the details are unfortunately rather vague and up for debate. The good news is that it means you can feel free to spell it however you want. </p>
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<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">November 14, 2013 - 9:30am</span></span>
</span>Thu, 14 Nov 2013 13:30:27 +0000Erin52790 at http://mentalfloss.com3 Creatures with More than One Hearthttp://mentalfloss.com/article/52337/3-creatures-more-one-heart
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/animals" class="author-writes-about-link">Animals</a>, <a href="/section/lists" class="author-writes-about-link">Lists</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/160548161.jpg" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The presence of one heart is ingrained into our idea of biology thanks to our own bodies as well as the majority of those we see around us. But did you know there are a handful of animals with multiple hearts?</p>
<h4>1. Octopus/Squid</h4>
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<p><em>Thinkstock</em></p>
<p>These similar creatures are both cephalopods and have three hearts in total, one systematic to go along with two “gill hearts” that force blood to the gills.</p>
<h4>2. Earthworms</h4>
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<p><em>Thinkstock</em></p>
<p>While it is not technically a “heart,” the aortic arch of the earthworm performs a similar function and is commonly referred to as one for the sake of simplicity. An earthworm has five arches/hearts that are segmented and pump blood throughout its body. </p>
<h4>3. Hagfish</h4>
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<p><em>Wikimedia Commons</em></p>
<p>Who knew such a nasty creature could have so many hearts? The hagfish has four of them, one main three-chambered systematic heart and three accessory pumps.</p>
<h4>BONUS: Humans</h4>
<p>Yes, there are seriously humans with more than one heart. This is thanks to the medical development of a “piggyback” heart transplant operation that <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/health/man-two-hearts-survives-double-sized-attack-1C6436801" target="_blank">adds an extra heart</a> as opposed to replacing the original. The latter continues to function, but at a much lower level, while the transplant heart takes over most of the heavy lifting. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4904914.stm">One person</a> who had the procedure as a baby later <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/miracle-of-the-girl-with-two-hearts-1744960.html" target="_blank">had it reversed</a>, and when the second heart was removed, her own was able to take back the reins. </p>
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<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">October 20, 2013 - 5:00pm</span></span>
</span>Sun, 20 Oct 2013 21:00:16 +0000Erin52337 at http://mentalfloss.comWhere Does the Phrase “To Turn the Tables” Come From?http://mentalfloss.com/article/53009/where-does-phrase-%E2%80%9C-turn-tables%E2%80%9D-come
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/big-questions" class="author-writes-about-link">Big Questions</a>, <a href="/section/origins" class="author-writes-about-link">Origins</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/turn_tables_blue.png" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock/Erin McCarthy</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>According the Oxford English Dictionary, if you “turn the tables” on someone, it is generally understood that you have reversed the fortunes in your favor to some capacity, so as to “reverse one’s position relative to someone else, especially by turning a position of disadvantage into one of advantage.” Useful saying, especially for motivational halftime speeches at sporting events, but where does it come from?</p>
<p>Believe it or not, from board games!</p>
<p>Backgammon and similar games belong to a class of board games referred to as “tables,” a general name given to games played on a board with dice. If the game wasn’t going in your favor, you would have to “turn” them, figuratively, if you wanted to win. You can’t actually “turn the tables” in a game of backgammon, although that would be nice. The phrase is a metaphor, a substitute for the common idea of a “comeback,” because you would have to reverse the board/the players’ current positions/situations in order to change the outcome.</p>
<p>While not as directly relevant to the meaning of the phrase in today’s language, there’s also a hint of this phrase, at least in terms of the words themselves, found amongst old-school dinner party procedures. To prevent anyone from being excluded from conversation, the host would choose a direction (typically the right) and speak with the person to that side of him/her. Everyone else was to follow suit, until the host “turned the tables” halfway through the meal, at which point everyone then switched their focus to the person on the opposite side.</p>
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<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">October 9, 2013 - 9:30am</span></span>
</span>Wed, 09 Oct 2013 13:30:43 +0000Erin53009 at http://mentalfloss.comHow Do Streets Get Named?http://mentalfloss.com/article/53010/how-do-streets-get-named
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/big-questions" class="author-writes-about-link">Big Questions</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/street_sign.png" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock/Erin McCarthy</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>For the most part, real estate and subdivision developers have the privilege of naming new streets in the United States. The name is submitted to the city for review, at which point the public service departments, such as police, fire, and the post office, are given the opportunity to veto the name if they feel it creates any confusion.</p>
<p>“The developer submits street names to the city through the relevant departments for review,” Catherine Nicholas, agent/owner of the CADO Real Estate Group in San Diego, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/10/05/beyond-main-how-streets-get-their-names/" target="_blank">told FoxNews</a>. “The building, engineering and public works departments all comment, but the departments that have the most input and veto power are police and fire. The concern here is that the street names are unique and intelligible enough for them to distinguish and find a street and property in an emergency.” </p>
<p>While developers can feel free to submit any name they’d like for a new street, such as the name of their child, it typically doesn’t work out because cities have guidelines and standards for certain areas that require street names to be of a specific theme.</p>
<p>This is why, for example, you see a large quantity of streets named after trees in one particular section of Philadelphia, or all 50 states represented in street names in Washington D.C. If the proposed name of a new street does not fit that theme, there’s a good chance it will be rejected, but how strict these policies are depends on the individual town/city. If you happen to be a developer (or decide to bribe one) and want to name a street after yourself, you’d have better luck in a newly developing suburb than you would in an established city.</p>
<p>With that in mind, here’s some food for thought: The names of trees and numbers make up the greatest number of street names in the country, and the most popular U.S. street name is “Second” or “2nd,” because “First Street” is often replaced with “Main Street” or something similar. </p>
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<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">October 7, 2013 - 9:30am</span></span>
</span>Mon, 07 Oct 2013 13:30:12 +0000Erin53010 at http://mentalfloss.com7 Awesome Things Birds Can Dohttp://mentalfloss.com/article/52814/7-awesome-things-birds-can-do
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/animal-behavior" class="author-writes-about-link">animal behavior</a>, <a href="/section/animals" class="author-writes-about-link">Animals</a>, <a href="/section/birds" class="author-writes-about-link">birds</a>, <a href="/section/lists" class="author-writes-about-link">Lists</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/92498766.jpg" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>If you live in any U.S. city, you probably think those pesky, puke-eating pigeons and their feathered friends are pretty brain dead. Don’t be fooled. Birds are capable of some pretty amazing feats, and we’ve provided a sampling below. Know any other cool things birds can do? Share the love in the comments below.</p>
<h4>1. Look Extremely Beautiful Without Any Makeup</h4>
<p>Humans spend a crazy amount of money on tattoos to dye their skin, and also a hell of a lot of time in front of the mirror. Are we jealous of <a href="http://thepetcollective.tv/amazingly-beautiful-colorful-birds-to-brighten-your-day/">these ridiculously colored birds</a>? Maybe a little. </p>
<h4>2. Take Photographs</h4>
<p>A “carrier pigeon,” which is not a specific breed but rather an occupation, can be trained to fly between two points rather reliably, typically by placing their food at one location and their nest at another. People have actually used this method to deliver messages, but German apothecary Julius Neubronner took it a step further when he strapped a time-delay camera to a bird and invented <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_photography">pigeon photography</a>, which was tested out for military use in WWI.</p>
<h4>3. Make and Use Weapons </h4>
<p>In fact, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/parrots-in-the-land-of-oz/birds-that-use-tools/714/">a lot of birds use tools</a> to help them hunt. For example, the woodpecker finch from the Galápagos Islands uses a twig to pry insects out of bark, as does the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2008/06/23/5-amazing-feats-of-animal-intelligence/">Caledonian crow</a>, who uses its beak to sharpen sticks into spears.</p>
<h4>4. Speak Better English Than a Toddler </h4>
<p>This goes beyond “Polly want a cracker.” An African grey parrot <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=crows-show-off-social-skills">learned a vocabulary</a> of more than 100 words and the labels of more than 35 objects.</p>
<h4>5. Become Art Snobs</h4>
<p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334394/">A 1995 study</a> showed that pigeons can learn to distinguish a painting by Picasso from one by Monet. The study humorously noted that if birds and students went through the same training methods, the students might too learn the differences.</p>
<h4>6. Build Incredibly Small Houses Out of Whatever </h4>
<p>And here we are, struggling to construct our IKEA furniture. Ever see how small <a href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS521US521&amp;q=hummingbird+nest&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&amp;bvm=bv.52288139,d.aWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.xLLRitWY30w.O&amp;biw=1241&amp;bih=567&amp;dpr=1&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;hl=en&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=og&amp;sa=N&amp;tab=wi&amp;ei=31I7UsaoC6GIyAGVoIDQCA">a hummingbird nest</a> is? The size of a key sounds about right. And house finches will literally use <a href="http://sharonbeals.blogspot.com/2011/04/tinkerer-tailor-er-and-disappearing.html">whatever they can find</a>. <a href="http://www.weather.com/news/science/birds-nests-remarkable-feats-engineering-photos-20130723">This photographer</a> is so obsessed with nests, he takes pictures of them all the time.</p>
<h4>7. Fly Really Far Distances Without Complaining</h4>
<p>Talk about nonstop service! A shore bird called the whimbrel can navigate tropical storms, fly nearly 30 miles per hour, and <a href="http://www.manomet.org/whimbrels-make-national-news-epic-flights">has been documented</a> as flying nonstop for thousands of miles. One tagged bird <a href="http://www.manomet.org/whimbrels-make-national-news-epic-flights">researchers were keeping an eye on</a> flew seven nonstop flights of more than 2000 miles each before it was shot by hunters on Guadeloupe.</p>
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<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">September 20, 2013 - 2:00pm</span></span>
</span>Fri, 20 Sep 2013 18:00:36 +0000Erin52814 at http://mentalfloss.comWhy Shouldn't We Eat Oysters in Months Without an R?http://mentalfloss.com/article/52625/why-shouldnt-we-eat-oysters-months-without-r
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/big-questions" class="author-writes-about-link">Big Questions</a>, <a href="/section/fact-check" class="author-writes-about-link">Fact Check</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/135894895.jpg" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>You've probably heard the food-world adage about how we shouldn’t consume oysters during months that don’t contain the letter R. But does R really stand for risk?</p>
<p>Technically, yes, although when it comes to eating commercially farmed oysters served in restaurants and sold in supermarkets, no.</p>
<p>The idea of not eating oysters during months without an R <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/health/nutrition/22real.html?_r=0">comes from</a> the fact that the summer months are the prime breeding time for “red tides,” or large blooms of algae that grow along the coast and have the tendency to spread toxins that can be absorbed by shellfish, including oysters. This is especially an issue for places with warm water temperatures, and eating locally raised seafood raises your risk of ingesting the toxins.</p>
<p>That said, commercially-harvested seafood—which makes up a majority of the seafood sold in restaurants and supermarkets—is strictly regulated by U.S. law that ensures it is safe to consume. Many restaurants often increase the size of their safety net by serving commercial oysters from cold-water climates during the months of May, June, July, and August.</p>
<p>So, while we wouldn’t recommend digging up your own oysters off the coast of Florida in July for a backyard bake, there’s no reason to fear the product sold in stores and served in restaurants within U.S. borders any time of year, R or no R.</p>
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<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">September 17, 2013 - 9:30am</span></span>
</span>Tue, 17 Sep 2013 13:30:19 +0000Erin52625 at http://mentalfloss.com9 Epic Literary Burnshttp://mentalfloss.com/article/52541/9-epic-literary-burns
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/lists" class="author-writes-about-link">Lists</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/literary_burns.png" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Thinkstock/Getty Images/Erin McCarthy</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><h4>1. Ernest Hemingway to William Faulkner</h4>
<p>It’s not much of a surprise that these two writers of such differing styles would butt heads. This tiff in particular began with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/10/literary-author-feuds_n_1268732.html#s695229" target="_blank">Faulkner accusing Hemingway</a> of never using a word that would send a reader to the dictionary. Hemingway’s classic response still serves as sound advice to writers today. “Poor Faulkner,” Hemingway said, “Does he really think big emotions come from big words?”</p>
<h4>2. Truman Capote to Jack Kerouac</h4>
<p>In an attempt to undermine the success of Jack Kerouac’s <em>On the Road,</em> which had overshadowed his own recent release, <em>Breakfast at Tiffany’s</em>, Truman Capote <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/25/nyregion/l-what-capote-said-about-kerouac-670892.html" target="_blank">took a shot</a> at the budding author when he was asked for his thoughts about the up-and-coming Beat Generation. “None of these people have anything interesting to say and none of them can write, not even Mr. Kerouac,” he said. “That isn’t writing. It’s typing.” In the end, Kerouac got the last laugh as his “typing” style of “spontaneous writing” turned out to be quite popular.</p>
<h4>3. Mark Twain on Jane Austen</h4>
<p>Twain's hatred for Austen’s writing seemingly knew no limits. <a href="http://wkar.org/post/book-review-200th-anniversary-pride-and-prejudice" target="_blank">He once said</a> that “Her books madden me so that I can’t conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read <em>Pride and Prejudice</em>, I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin-bone.”</p>
<h4>4. George Bernard Shaw on William Shakespeare </h4>
<p>Whether he was jealous of the great playwright or simply hated his swagger, Shaw made his dislike of Shakespeare <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=SYJlAAAAMAAJ&amp;lpg=PA166&amp;ots=WvucBq6TAY&amp;dq=I%20have%20striven%20hard%20to%20open%20English%20eyes%20to%20the%20emptiness%20of%20Shakespeare%E2%80%99s%20philosophy&amp;pg=PA166#v=onepage&amp;q=I%20have%20striven%20hard%20to%20open%20English%20eyes%20to%20the%20emptiness%20of%20Shakespeare%E2%80%99s%20philosophy&amp;f=false" target="_blank">very clear</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>I have striven hard to open English eyes to the emptiness of Shakespeare’s philosophy, to the superficiality and second-handedness of his morality, to his weakness and incoherence as a thinker, to his snobbery, his vulgar prejudices, his ignorance, his disqualifications of all sorts for the philosophic eminence claimed for him. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>He even made a puppet play, <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakes_versus_Shav">Shakes versus Shav</a></em>, that featured a quarrel between the two writers. </p>
<h4>5. William Faulkner on Mark Twain</h4>
<p>Faulkner would eventually praise Twain as “the Father of American literature,” but as a young writer and student at Ole Miss, he apparently wasn’t impressed, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=RurYcyS51_sC&amp;lpg=PA112&amp;ots=_qRIxPBF7y&amp;dq=a%20hack%20writer%20who%20would%20not%20have%20been%20considered%20fourth%20rate%20in%20Europe&amp;pg=PA112#v=onepage&amp;q=hack%20writer&amp;f=false" target="_blank">calling him</a> “a hack writer who would not have been considered fourth rate in Europe, who tricked out a few of the old proven sure fire literary skeletons with sufficient local color to intrigue the superficial and the lazy.”</p>
<h4>6. Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein</h4>
<p>Hemingway and Stein were good friends after their initial introduction, but a feud grew between the two that would last the remainder of their lives and careers. The initial conflict began over the work of Sherwood Anderson, about which Hemingway was very critical. In <em>The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas,</em> Stein painted an unflattering picture of Hemingway. Hemingway struck back in <em>A Moveable Feast</em>, in which he criticized both Stein and her prose, saying that her work contained “repetitions that a more conscientious and less lazy writer would have put in the waste basket.”</p>
<h4>7. Mary McCarthy to Lillian Hellman</h4>
<p>This female duel is particularly noteworthy due to its tongue-in-cheek mediation by Norman Mailer, a quote that still draws a smile today in the presence of literary quarrels. </p>
<p>When McCarthy was a guest on <em>The Dick Cavett Show</em> on PBS in 1980, she blasted Hellman, calling her “a dishonest writer” and saying that “every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’” Hellman responded with a $2.25 million lawsuit against McCarthy, Cavett, and PBS.</p>
<p>Mailer, who had been following the feud, told Hellman to drop the case, saying that if she won, “then every American writer will have to feel that much more tongue-tied at daring to criticize another American writer without qualification.”</p>
<h4>8. Ernest Hemingway to Wallace Stevens</h4>
<p>It seemed that Ernest always had his hand in the cookie jar, and it was this cockiness that made him so interesting beyond the page. While he can typically be counted on for a good one-liner, words weren’t enough to solve his problem with Wallace Stevens. Hemingway had <a href="http://www.ilab.org/eng/documentation/882-when_wallace_stevens_hit_ernest_hemingway_in_key_west.html" target="_blank">heard that Stevens had said</a> <span>"By God I wish I had that Hemingway here now. I'd knock him out with a single punch</span>." They got into a fight on the streets in Florida, a confrontation during which Stevens broke his hand. Given Hemingway’s love for the sport of boxing, the fight was, we’re sure, Hemingway at his best!</p>
<h4>9. Stephen King to James Patterson</h4>
<p>In 2007, Stephen King criticized James Patterson. "I don't like him,” King said. “I don't respect his books because every one is the same." </p>
<p>Taking the high road, James Patterson replied: "Recently Stephen King commented that he doesn't have any respect for me. Doesn't make too much sense—I'm a good dad, a nice husband—my only crime is I've sold millions of books." </p>
<p>Fair enough, James.</p>
</div></div></div><span class="field field-name-field-published-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden">
<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">September 12, 2013 - 6:00pm</span></span>
</span>Thu, 12 Sep 2013 23:00:58 +0000Erin52541 at http://mentalfloss.com10 Things That Have "Rained" From the Skyhttp://mentalfloss.com/article/52336/10-things-have-rained-sky
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/animals" class="author-writes-about-link">Animals</a>, <a href="/section/lists" class="author-writes-about-link">Lists</a>, <a href="/section/weather" class="author-writes-about-link">weather</a>, <a href="/section/weird" class="author-writes-about-link">weird</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/rained-from-sky.png" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Thinkstock</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>We’re all familiar with the phrase “raining cats and dogs,” but what about fish and frogs? Since biblical times, there have been reports of strange things falling from the sky. Some incidents have occurred more than once and are the result of natural causes. Others were more random and are less likely to repeat themselves.</p>
<h4>1. Raw Meat</h4>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/raw-chicken-rains-down-from-sky-virginia_n_1958622.html">A few pieces of poultry fell from the sky</a> in Virginia last year, one landing on the head of a teen in the middle of a horseback riding lesson. Experts guess that a seagull was the culprit. But it was buzzards, thought to be responsible for regurgitating venison or mutton, that caused the event now known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_meat_shower">Kentucky Meat Shower</a>. There have been <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0914F9355B127B93C2A81788D85F428784F9">other incidents</a> over the years as well.</p>
<h4>2. Fish</h4>
<p>Typically, fish are scooped up by water spouts and dropped in bunches—and that's just what happened in the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1254812/Hundreds-fish-fall-sky-remote-Australian-town-Lajamanu.html">remote Australian town of Lajamanu in 2010</a>.</p>
<h4>3. Blood</h4>
<p>At least, that’s what it looks like. This most recently happened last year in India. In <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/weird-red-rain-india-panics-people-blood-red-rain-falls">an <em>Examiner</em> article</a> that analyzed the different “red rain” cases that have been reported over the past two decades, the publication quoted two scientists who concluded that “the mysterious red color in the rain is caused by [an] unidentified life form that does not have DNA.” Other scientific theories today about how the rain turns red revolve around meteor dust and micro-organisms.</p>
<h4>4. Frogs</h4>
<p>Like fish, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnFKGja2Vz0">frogs are easy targets</a> for updrafts and can be carried and dropped miles and miles away. In one 2009 incident, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5491846/Sky-rains-tadpoles-over-Japan.html" target="_blank">tadpoles rained down on a town in central Japan</a>.</p>
<h4>5. Sharks</h4>
<p>In 2012, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/shark-falls-sky-onto-calif-golf-course-233322113.html">a shark fell on the 12th tee of a Southern California golf course</a>. A course marshal found it and transported it back to the ocean, where it was successfully released. Witnesses say the shark had puncture wounds and concluded that it had been scooped up by a bird and carried over land before it was able to shake free.</p>
<h4>6. Worms</h4>
<p>Water spouts were thought to be the cause of 120 worms <a href="http://news.stv.tv/east-central/240577-its-raining-worms-schoolchildrens-lesson-interrupted-by-falling-creepy-crawlies/" target="_blank">falling in tangled bunches onto a group of students</a> during gym class.</p>
<h4>7. Golf Balls</h4>
<p>We all joke about golf-ball sized hail, but what about real golf balls? <a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/natural-disasters/4331114"><em>Popular Mechanics</em></a> cited a <em>St. Petersburg Times</em> story that reported “dozens and dozens and dozens” of golf balls falling on the town of Punta Gorda on the gulf coast of Florida in 1969. Water spouts and an abundance of golf courses were thought to have been behind the strange and dangerous occurrence.</p>
<h4>8. Money</h4>
<p>A German woman was able to collect <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/07/05/us-germany-money-idUSL0587827020070705">“a substantial amount of money” that fell from the sky</a> as she was driving. In what is a really impressive combination of honesty and foolishness, she later turned it in to police!</p>
<h4>9. Spiders</h4>
<p>Spiders can’t fly, but <a href="http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/7-10-12/60694.html">they can build a parachute</a> with the best of them. In 2007, a group of them “rained” down upon some hikers in Argentina.</p>
<h4>10. Mud</h4>
<p>J.W. Moore of Easton, Pennsylvania, wrote to the editors of <em>Science Magazine</em> to <a href="http://archive.org/stream/jstor-1628608/1628608#page/n1/mode/2up" target="_blank">recount a "mud shower" caused by a dust storm and subsequent rain</a> that occurred on April 12, 1902. It happened again later that year, this time in New Zealand: <a href="http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&amp;d=CHP19021115.2.51" target="_blank">According to a telegram from November 14</a>, "The south train yesterday afternoon encountered a shower of red mud the whole way from Henley to Waihola."</p>
</div></div></div><span class="field field-name-field-published-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden">
<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">September 9, 2013 - 12:00am</span></span>
</span>Mon, 09 Sep 2013 11:33:51 +0000Erin52336 at http://mentalfloss.com7 Birthday Traditions from Around the Worldhttp://mentalfloss.com/article/52335/7-birthday-traditions-around-world
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/around-the-world" class="author-writes-about-link">around-the-world</a>, <a href="/section/lists" class="author-writes-about-link">Lists</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/133455017.jpg" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The Western idea of celebrating a birthday with cake and candles has certainly caught on in other parts of the world, but many cultures have long-standing traditional ways to celebrate that don’t involve a sugar rush.</p>
<p>Obviously, the practices found in the list below are not entirely representative of the preferences of every household or individual. We’re sure many of them are more traditional and hypothetical than a reality, but if you happen to be in Germany and see a group of men with a broom on the steps of city hall, you’ll at least know what they’re up to.</p>
<h4>1. Canada: Nose Grease</h4>
<p>On the Atlantic side of Canada, birthday boys and girls are sometimes “ambushed” and <a href="http://www.atlanticcoastentertainment.com/birthday_traditions.htm" target="_blank">their noses are greased</a>, usually with butter, to ward off bad luck. A friend who lives in Pictou told this writer that “The butter got worse as you got older. It was good luck as much as torture as I remember it.” We would imagine so! </p>
<h4>2. China: Long Noodles for Longevity </h4>
<p>Chinese birthday tradition maintains that one should symbolize their longevity by <a href="http://chineseculture.about.com/od/chinesefestivals/tp/Chinese-Birthday-Celebrate-A-Chinese-Style-Birthday.htm" target="_blank">eating a plate of long noodles</a>, slurping them in as far as possible before biting.</p>
<h4>3. Germany: Sweeping the Streets of City Hall</h4>
<p>When single men in Germany turn 30, an old tradition is for them to <a href="http://www.atravelbroad.com/treppe-fegen-oder-klinken-putzen/" target="_blank">sweep the steps of their local city hall</a> as their friends toss rubble onto them. The ordeal, meant to embarrass, is supposed to carry on until the birthday boy is able to plant one on a passing woman. Also, as this author personally found out recently, <em>you</em> buy the drinks for your friends on your birthday, unlike in the States where it is the other way around. </p>
<h4>4. Ireland: Hit the Deck </h4>
<p>Think the Irish had a few when coming up with this one? Tradition maintains that a child is <a href="http://www.ask.com/question/irish-birthday-traditions" target="_blank">held upside down</a> and is “bumped” on the floor, once for every year of their age plus one for good luck. We’re guessing lawyers would have something to say about this in the United States!</p>
<h4>5. Jamaica: Modern Day Antiquing </h4>
<p>Just like that one friend you had in college, Jamaicans think dousing their friends with flour is fun. Regardless of age, tradition calls for the birthday boy or girl to be <a href="http://mangosalute.com/salutetheday/celebrating-your-birthday-in-jamaica" target="_blank">“antiqued,” or coated with flour</a>, by friends and family, either at an organized party or as part of an ambush. </p>
<h4>6. Mexico: The Birthday Piñata </h4>
<p>Mexicans sure know how to have a good time, and it’s no surprise that they have what is in my opinion the most fun tradition for children: The <a href="http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-life/general-information/whatisfelizcumpleanos.htm#.UhZb-pJQFsk" target="_blank">birthday piñata filled with candy</a>. Grab a blindfold and a broomstick, and let the celebration begin. I don’t know about you, but I certainly would trade my birthday cake for a piñata any day. </p>
<h4>7. Vietnam: Happy… New Year? </h4>
<p>Everyone celebrates their birthday on New Year’s Day in Vietnam, a day they refer to as “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt">tet</a>.” Vietnamese tradition is that the actual day of birth is <a href="http://www.vietventures.com/Vietnam/viet_culture.asp" target="_blank">not to be acknowledged</a>. Rather, people <a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/the-worlds-most-unusual-birthday-traditions-1298735.html?cat=16" target="_blank">become a year older every year at tet</a>.</p>
</div></div></div><span class="field field-name-field-published-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden">
<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">August 29, 2013 - 5:00pm</span></span>
</span>Thu, 29 Aug 2013 21:00:10 +0000Erin52335 at http://mentalfloss.comWhat Are the Northern Lights?http://mentalfloss.com/article/52334/what-are-northern-lights
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-enhanced-authors field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/authors/will-mcgough">Will McGough</a></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_categories field-group-div group-categories categories speed-none effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-category-url field-type-computed field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">filed under: <a href="/section/big-questions" class="author-writes-about-link">Big Questions</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="primary-image">
<img src="http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/166095274.jpg" width="640" height="430" alt="" /> </div><div class="field-group-format group_image_credit field-group-div group-image-credit speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-image-credit field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Image credit:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">ThinkStock</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Over the centuries, many have gazed up at one of the earth’s most fascinatingly beautiful natural wonders: The Northern Lights. But what are they?</p>
<p>Before science was able to get a read on what exactly was happening in the night sky, ancient tribes had their own theories for what caused the jaw-dropping light show. Many early beliefs had roots in religion, such as that the light was a pathway souls traveled to reach heaven (Eskimo Tribes) or that the light was an eternal battle of dead warriors (Middle-Age Europe). Early researchers were a bit more reasonable in their approximations, and most surrounded the idea of the reflection of sunlight off the ice caps. In 1619, Galileo Galilei named the lights the <em>aurora borealis</em> after Aurora, the Roman goddess of morning, after concluding they were a product of sunlight reflecting from the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Today, scientists have come to the general agreement that the lights are caused by the collision of electrically charged solar particles and atoms from our atmosphere. The energy from the collisions is released as light, and the reason it happens around the poles is because that's where the earth’s magnetic field is the strongest. In 2008, a team at UCLA <a href="http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/scientists-solve-30-year-old-aurora-53738.aspx">concluded</a> that “when two magnetic field lines come close together due to the storage of energy from the sun, a critical limit is reached and the magnetic field lines reconnect, causing magnetic energy to be transformed into kinetic energy and heat. Energy is released, and the plasma is accelerated, producing accelerated electrons.”</p>
<p>"Our data show clearly and for the first time that magnetic reconnection is the trigger," said Vassilis Angelopoulos, a UCLA professor of Earth and space sciences. "Reconnection results in a slingshot acceleration of waves and plasma along magnetic field lines, lighting up the aurora underneath even before the near-Earth space has had a chance to respond. We are providing the evidence that this is happening."</p>
<p>The best time to see the Northern Lights is during the winter due to the earth’s position in relation to the sun (shorter days means darker night skies). And by the way, it’s not just the North Pole that puts on a show—there are Southern Lights, too. There are also <em>aurora borealis</em> on other planets—including <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Mars_Express_discovers_aurorae_on_Mars">Mars</a>—so rest assured that future generations born “abroad” will not miss out on this spectacular feat of nature.</p>
<p>Haven’t seen them yet? Well, now is the time to book your trip: Scientists <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/10226410/Northern-Lights-best-for-a-decade-in-December.html">are predicting</a> that this December will be the best month to see them in the next decade due to the current level of solar activity. </p>
</div></div></div><span class="field field-name-field-published-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden">
<span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">August 27, 2013 - 9:30am</span></span>
</span>Tue, 27 Aug 2013 13:30:55 +0000Erin52334 at http://mentalfloss.com